Reported by WEEI’s Jerry Spar, Jonathon Joseph was quoted with the following: “For whatever reason, we didn’t advance… I still can’t put that over because I think we were a better team. I think we just didn’t make the plays at the right time… Just four or five plays,” he said. “You take a few of those plays that they made and go the other way, it’s a different ballgame.”

For those of you who are fans of Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live, this segment is calledReally!?!

Jonathon Joseph. Really, your team is better than the Patriots? Really, four or five plays changed the landscape of the game? You know what those four or five plays that they made means? That your team couldn’t stop them from doing so. I mean really, Jonathon Joseph, isn’t that the difference between a win and a loss in every sports game ever played? One person or team makes the plays and they win, and the other doesn’t make as many plays, resulting in a loss. Really, when a team puts up more than 10 points per quarter against your defense over the course of the season, you’re better than them? You realize you personally gave up 12 catches, 121 yards and two touchdowns to Brandon Lloyd in those two contests and he was the third option in the passing game? That’s alright, your season isn’t over because you’re going to the Pro Bowl after stopping the Patriots’ prolific offense in two straight losses. Did you see how the Patriots lost three players who have been key to their success (Gronkowski, Woodhead, and Jones) and they just slotted in the reserves to continue the onslaught. Shane Vereen had his best game as a professional at the expense of Barrett Ruud.

I can think of a few plays your offense could have made, too. First play of the game, Danieal Manning takes an ill-advised return out of the back of the endzone, slows up after breaking it for 94 yards and gets caught from behind by Devin McCourty. An opening touchdown on that play really could have set the tone. But, that’s alright, you guys were entrenched in the red zone; it would be an easy score. Except Casey dropped an easy touchdown. Slipped right through his fingers, a strange microcosm for what happened to what should have been the team with the Number 1 overall seed and home-field in the playoffs, huh? The best teams in the NFL play sixty minutes of football and make all the plays; they don’t make excuses or pose what-ifs; they win. And the Patriots won. They were the better team by far twice.

I grew up on Boston Sports during the championship era. Nothing has supported my love for Boston sports more than seeing three Lombardi Trophies, two World Series Championships, a Stanley Cup, and an NBA Championship all before turning 21. That will never stop me complaining when one of my teams falls on its face, and there will always be game film to go over, which is why I will always have something to write about.